


You came back.

by Inbetween_days



Series: Tmr oneshots [2]
Category: The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Boys In Love, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Fix-It, M/M, Newt (Maze Runner) Lives, Post-Canon Fix-It, Requited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:34:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25832134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inbetween_days/pseuds/Inbetween_days
Summary: Thomas couldn't leave Newt behind. He just couldn't~Or, when Thomas finally realizes how he feels about his best friend, he's willing to do anything to get him back.
Relationships: Newt & Thomas (Maze Runner), Newt/Thomas (Maze Runner)
Series: Tmr oneshots [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2034001
Comments: 13
Kudos: 213
Collections: Pieces of Newtmas





	You came back.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!! this is my first fic so I'm kinda excited, I think I did okay. I mean, it could be better of course, but other than that, i like it. I'm just trying to get in the habit of writing, no better time than quarantine I guess. Anyways, enjoy! <3  
> (it gets better as it goes on trust me)

"This isn't smart Thomas," Minho sighed. "you're still hurt, and he might not even..." he trailed off, a glazed look in his eyes.

"He might not even be there anymore." Brenda finished for him. She looked at Thomas, concern, grief, and doubt lacing her features.

"I know. I just have to..." he took a shaky breath, "I  _ need  _ to be sure." his face hardened but his eyes were pleading.

Minho, Brenda, Frypan, Gally, Sonya, Harriet, Aris, Jorge, and Vince all joined Thomas at a table in the new and improved med-shack in the Haven.

"Thomas," Fry started, " You've barely even started healing." his brows furrowed.

"I don't care. Look, he could still be alive!" Thomas remembers where the knife went in, how could he forget, really. It probably did kill him, but if it was angled a certain way, or even a few  _ centimeters  _ over, Newt could still be alive, "and even... even if he isn't, wouldn't it be nice to bury one of our own? After everyone we've lost," he glanced at everyone around the table. 

_ "Everyone I could've saved" _ he thinks.

"Wouldn't it be nice to bury just  _ one _ ?" his voice nearly gave out at the end, overcome with emotion. But that didn't take away the meaning behind his words.

Everyone's eyes softened, slightly glistening with the tears they wouldn't let fall. 

Finally, Gally spoke up, uncharacteristically soft, "We might not even be able to find his body Thomas." Despite everything, they all knew that even he cared for Newt. Everyone did.

"I don't care," Thomas repeated 

"-but,"

" _ I DONT CARE! _ " Thomas screamed, slamming his hands one the table. He took a small moment to compose himself. "This is  _ Newt _ . Don't you guys get that?" his tears threatened to overflow, he let them. "He, of all people, deserves this much."

Everyone stared at Thomas. They knew he would go regardless of what they said, that's just who he was. Heading into things without really thinking, consequences be damned, especially if it was about his friends. Especially if it was about  _ Newt. _ All they had to do now was decide if they were going with him or not. 

"I'm in," Minho stated. Thomas wasn't surprised.

"Me too," Brenda added.

Harriet just nodded at Thomas, signaling her willingness to go.

And, after an obvious internal debate, Gally also agreed to go.

After a small moment, no one added anything else. So, they all turned to Vince, who'd been surprisingly quiet throughout the whole ordeal.

"You guys are fucking crazy. But I have the feeling I can't stop you." The corner of his mouth turned upwards. He gave Thomas a small nod. 

Thomas let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding, " Thank you, thank you so much." he hoped his eyes further conveyed his gratitude. As he began to walk away from the table, Jorge stopped him. He turned around.

"Wait a second  _ hermano _ ," Jorge smiled, "you still need a pilot."

Thomas smiled back. He glanced at his friends, "grab some supplies and let's head out."

~

After landing the berg, which shockingly had enough fuel for a trip to and from the city, in a small clearing, they started their way towards the destination they came for. 

Silent awe filled the group. Fallen skyscrapers, crumbling buildings, and smoldering fires were all that they could see. It bordered a macabre version of beauty. 

"Let's get a move on," Gally said firmly. 

After passing through the rubble of what used to be The Last City, they were almost to the area that Thomas remembers all too well. The area where Thomas finally realized all the things he's ever wanted to say to Newt. The area where Thomas remembers how his world fell apart at the sight of Newt,  _ his  _ Newt, cranked out of his mind, fighting Thomas. The area where he killed his best friend. 

"What are we gonna do if we find him?" Brenda glanced at Thomas.

"We carry him back." Thomas didn't elaborate, it wasn't necessary. They all knew that they'd bring him back to the Safe Haven, whether it be to heal him, or bury him. Thomas just hoped it wasn't the latter.

They had reached the former clearing. Remnants of the surrounding buildings crowded almost half of the area, which Thomas was grateful for. He was the first to step forward, marking the beginning of the search. 

They moved what seemed like millions of pieces of rubble, one after the other. None of them had taken a break, despite the sun beating down on them with unsympathetic force.

They'd been out there for nearly 3 hours, searching. Everyone kept glancing at Thomas occasionally, more frequently as time went on. They were beginning to accept the fact that they weren't going to find him. 

"Thomas," Brenda stepped towards him, putting a hand on his shoulder, "I don't... I dont think we're going to find him."

"But we've-"

She shook her head at him solemnly. She was right. Thomas had dragged them all out here for nothing. For his own selfish reasons. For his stupid hope that he could have Newt back. For his unrealistic wish that the universe was just playing a sick, sick, joke on him. He was foolish. Of course they would never find him. Not among all this destruction of course. She was right. He wasn't there. 

"I- I'm sorry," he looked at everyone, all in different parts of the clearing. Their eyes bore back into his, all showing the grief and disappointment they shared. "I'm so sorry." He let out a choked sob.

They crowded around one another, forming a group hug of sorts. They stood like that for what could've been minutes or hours, Thomas couldn't tell. 

" _ Unghh... _ "

Thomas' ears all but physically perked up. He stepped away from the group, eyes searching. 

"Thom-,"

"Shush." Thomas crept forward, ears straining for any kind of sound. He heard a small crumble of what sounded like the debris shifting and raced towards it.

His eyes, racing rapidly across the area, scanned everything. Not seeing anything, he slouched, thinking his devastated brain had just imagined it. Thinking he had hoped so much, hoped with so much force, that he was losing his mind. 

He was walking backwards to the group, glancing out one more time when he saw it.

_ A tuft of wheat gold hair. _

Thomas ran back and quickly but carefully started moving the rubble. Newt was under there. He was  _ alive.  _ After what seemed like hours, he finally saw him, beaten and bloody, but it was him. It was Newt.

"Guys! come here," he shouted, trying to get the attention of the rest of the group. He leaned down and cupped Newt's face, "Newt, can you hear me? I'm right here Newt, stay with me," with tears streaming down his face, he tried to keep Newt at least semi-awake.

Newt spluttered weakly, "T-...Tommy?" his brows furrowed in confusion.

"Yeah, yeah Newt, it's me," Thomas smiled, he'd only had one day without hearing that nickname, and he never wanted to go through that again. It was like music to his ears.

"Wha- what are you..." his eyes rolled back for a moment then snapped back upon being shaken by Thomas. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to bring you home."

~

He passed out shortly after that. Brenda and Jorge were already running back to get the berg ready for takeoff. So Minho, Thomas, and Gally lifted him back to the berg while Harriet kept the knife stable. Thomas heard Jorge radioing the Safe Haven, telling them to have a doctor at the ready upon their arrival.

Brenda was waiting for them at the entrance with medical supplies. They laid him down and went straight to work. Brenda gave Harriet gauze which she used to apply firm pressure. Gally walked off, receiving a confused look from everyone, and then came back with two bowls: a bowl full of water in one hand, and an empty one in the other.

He kneeled down next to Thomas, placing the bowl next to him, "Here, to clean his face." Even Thomas hadn't thought of that.

Thomas grabbed some left over gauze and dipped it in the water. He squeezed the excess out and started to gently wipe Newts face off. He wiped the dirt off his forehead, the rocks off his cheek, and the horrid black blood that stained his chin. Intermittently rinsing the dirty gauze into the empty bowl throughout the process. 

"Guys," Minho started, "look." He traced his fingers along Newt's face and what was visible of his arms. "They're gone... The veins, they're gone!" 

Thomas was so caught up by the fact that he'd gotten his best friend back that he'd failed to notice what Minho had just pointed out. He scanned Newt's body in awe.

Remembering the day on the roof where Newt had shown him the source of where the flare had begun, he rolled back the sleeve on Newt's right arm.

It had faded tremendously, you could only see it if you looked closely. And even then, it was barely there.

"Oh my god," Thomas muttered.

Minho tackled Thomas in a bone-crushing hug, nearly knocking them over. "Thank you," he whispered, "Thank you so much."

Thomas had an equally strong grip on minho, "You don't need to thank me, I didn't just do it for me. I did it for all of us. For him."

They pulled away after a while, both with matching tears. Then, they shifted their focus back to Newt.

~

Following Jorges instructions, they had a doctor waiting for them. Thomas wasn't exactly sure but he thinks the doctor's name is Katie. She had a stretcher at the ready to take Newt to the med-shack. They all helped place Newts body on the stretcher, careful to keep the knife secure, and roll him towards their destination. 

There were more doctors waiting at the entrance to the med-shack. They immediately started their work, swapping positions with Harriet to continue putting pressure on the wound. Thomas tried to go in with Newt, not wanting to leave his side, when one of the doctors put a hand on his chest.

"I think you better wait out here son." 

"No, I have-"

"I'm sorry, but all you'll do is cause problems." He gave Thomas one more look and then sped inside, closing the door behind him.

Thomas turned around, hands on the sides of his head, and looked around. 

_ Is he gonna be okay? _

_ I can't lose him again. Not after just getting him back. _

_ They should've let me in.  _

_ THEY SHOULD'VE LET ME IN! _

Thomas was broken out of his trance by Jorge.

"He's gonna be alright  _ hermano.  _ He's in good hands."

Thomas just blinked.

_ He better be. _

~

Once Thomas was allowed in, he ran to Newt's bedside. His best friend's skin was pale, almost grey. His lips borderline blue. Thomas grabbed Newt's hand, it was ice cold. He looked to the doctor.

"Is he gonna be alright?"

"We don't know," the doctor he presumed to be named Katie said. "He lost a lot of blood. We think that the only reason he survived this long was because of how far the knife was shoved in. The handle must've kept enough pressure on the wound so that he could stay alive. He's very lucky that you guys found him so soon."

"What about the flare?" Minho asked.

Thomas looked up, "Teresa said my blood was the cure. What if... what if when we were fighting some of my blood got into his wounds?" 

"If your blood was potent enough, it could work," Katie added.

Thomas glanced down at Newt. Maybe he did save his best friend. Maybe he did save Newt.

~ 

Thomas waited beside Newt for the next week and a half, reading and re-reading the note left behind for him. 

He'd found it the day after they brought Newt home. He was sitting there, toying with the necklace, twisting it between his fingers, when he noticed that the end of the necklace was a cap. Thomas was dumbstruck.

_ Newt left this for me?  _

He unfolded the letter carefully, not wanting to damage it in any way, and began reading.

~

Losing Newt, even for a  _ day _ , combined with the letter, made Thomas realize his feelings for his best friend. That's what he thought they were, just best friends. But the more he contemplated the subject, the more he came to understand that most best friends don't think about each other every moment of the day. They don't usually sit next to each other, knees and arms touching, not wanting to move away. They dont hold hands under the covers or under tables subconsciously.  _ They dont leave behind letters for their friends to read after they've passed. _

That was all it took for Thomas to recognize the feelings he had towards Newt. No, the feeling he  _ has  _ towards Newt. The feelings would always have for Newt.

Thomas was in love with his best friend. He was in love with Newt.

~

His friends came by and joined him occasionally, whenever they had a break from their jobs. Minho was his main partner. 

Thomas didn't even leave to sleep in his own hut, he slept in the chair right next to Newt's bed. If something happened, he wasn't going to miss it.

After a few days, the color started to come back to Newt's skin. Reclaiming it's slight pink tint. The rose hue returning to his lips. 

How many times had Thomas thought about Newt's lips without realizing it? How many times had he wondered what they would feel like against his own? 

_ Newt has to wake up, _ Thomas thought.

_ He has to.  _

_ I have to tell him.  _

_ He can't leave without me telling him. _

~

People were starting to lose hope. The doctors had tried to talk to him about the strong possibility that Newt might not make it. Thomas shut them down every time.

It was on the 12th day since they got back when it happened. Thomas was holding Newt's hand, praying to whatever God was out there, when he felt Newt squeeze back. His head shot up, focusing on Newt's face. His eyes were open, and he had a small smile on his lips. 

"Hey there Tommy."

Thomas sprang forward immediately trying to entrap Newt in his arms, never intending to let go. 

"Wait!"

Thomas stopped.

"Be gentle, yeah? I just got stabbed in the bloody chest," Newt said, a small laugh escaping his lips.

Thomas went to hug him again, gentler this time, wrapping his arms around his best friend at a much slower pace.

"Oh god newt, never do that to me again. Please?" Thomas sighed into Newt's shoulder. He leaned back, hands cupping Newt's face, eyes gazing into newts, "I thought I'd lost you."

"You could never lose me Tommy," the blush on Newt's cheeks matched the color of his lips. Thomas decided to commit that image to memory. "I'd never leave you." He glanced down at the end of his sentence.

Thomas lifted his chin, "You'd better not, I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Probably die," Newt laughed nervously. All Thomas could do was smile. God, how he had missed that laugh. That twinkle in Newt's deep brown eyes. The crinkle of his nose. 

"Yeah, I probably would."

Thomas sat back down and they stayed like that for a few minutes, Newt sitting up in bed, Thomas holding his hand, staring at each other. 

" _ You came back _ ." Newt whispered, his eyes swimming with tears and a look Thomas couldn't name.

"How could I not?" Thomas hoped his eyes conveyed all the love he had towards Newt.

"Tommy I need to tell you-"

"Newt, I-"

They both spoke at the same time, laughing afterwards. 

"You go first," Newt said.

Thomas' heart started racing. What if he didnt feel the same way? What if he'd misinterpreted the letter? What if Thomas told him that he loved him and Newt looked at him in disgust and he lost Newt  _ again? _ That couldn't happen, Thomas wouldn't let it. If he had to keep these feelings to himself, then so be it. He could  _ not  _ lose Newt again.

"No, you're the one who died," Thomas chuckled," you go first."

"Fine you twat," Newt rolled his eyes, "I-... Do you remember the first day you came to the maze?" 

"Yeah, of course,"

"Well," Newt cleared his throat, "from the moment I met you, I knew you were different. There was something about you that I just couldn't put my finger on. I figured it out when you ran into the maze of course," 

"What was it?" Thomas had no clue where this was going, but he didnt care. As long as he got to hear Newt's voice, he didnt care what was said.

"I knew that you were the craziest shuckin' slinthead I'd ever met," he laughed, "But I also knew that you were the type of person to do anything to save someone. Even if you barely knew them, obviously." His gaze shifted from his hands to Thomas' eyes, "That was when I realized that... well, that  _ I'd follow you anywhere." _

Thomas smiled at the mention of the note. The note he'd read so many times while Newt was asleep. The note that helped him get through the dreadful waiting for him to wake up.

"So," Newt continued, "what I really wanted to say is that..." he made eye contact with Thomas and his blush somehow intensified, "I love you Tommy."

Thomas could've sworn the world exploded in that moment. It was like everything had blown up and all that was left was Newts face. 

"Oh thank god," Thomas surged forward, connecting his lips with Newts. 

The kiss was gentle. Slow, but purposeful. It quieted every single one of Thomas' doubts. It felt like everything fell back into place, like the world had righted itself. 

They parted, needing air, and Thomas rested his forehead against Newt's. 

"I'm so glad you said that," Thomas breathed.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. cause I love you too."

**Author's Note:**

> if you have any feedback and/or tips it would be greatly appreciated!! thank you <3


End file.
